Govt overseeing rape ‘decriminalisation’: Labour

LONDON: The shadow solicitor general has accused the government of overseeing the “decriminalisation” of rape.

Ellie Reeves told the Commons that last year the police recorded over 55,000 rapes which resulted in only 1,400 convictions and questioned whether the government will support rape victims or “sit back and watch the effective decriminalisation of rape”.

Attorney General Michael Ellis, who has taken up the position temporarily whilst Suella Braverman is on maternity leave, said it is “not the case” that over 55,000 cases were referred to the police, and that instead it was “only about 5,000”.

Former solicitor general Ellis added that prosecutions for reported rapes “have gone up”, with 65 per cent now resulting in charge, but admitted that “more needs to be done”.

Speaking during Attorney General departmental questions in the Commons, Ms Reeves said: “Last year the police recorded over 55,000 rapes but there were only 2,100 prosecutions and 1,400 convictions.

“The government announced their end-to-end rape review over two years ago and we are still waiting for it.

“So I ask the Attorney General again, will he make rape a dedicated specialism within the Crown Prosecution Service and will he back Labour’s survivors support plan for rape victims – or will he sit back and watch the effective decriminalisation of rape?”

Ellis replied: “Well I don’t think that the emotive language that (Ms Reeves) uses is appropriate at all and I have to say that is not the case.

“The reality of the matter is that we have said we will always look at any ideas and suggestions, but (Ms Reeves) talks about 55,000 cases, only about 5,000 of those were actually referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.

“So the Crown Prosecution Service works very hard to prosecute and charge all of those cases that are referred to it and their statistics for that have gone up, they are now at 65 per cent of all rape cases that are referred to it resulting in a charge. “And I would suggest that (Ms Reeves) looks carefully at the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate’s report which indicates good work in this area, although I do very much acknowledge that more needs to be done.”

In a later question, Ellis assured MPs that the government will do “everything we can” to ensure victims of domestic violence get justice.

Labour’s Gill Furniss (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough) asked what steps the government is taking to increase the number of prosecutions relating to domestic violence. Ellis replied: “We will do everything we can to facilitate that.

“And the reality of course is that the Crown Prosecution Service can only deal with cases that are referred to it, so that is an issue that needs to be addressed by (Ms Furniss).

“But the government has already, as I’ve said, introduced this Domestic Abuse Bill to Parliament which is landmark and generationally important.”